


A lesson in Tenacity

by EvelynMichelle



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ba Sing Se, Gen, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Iroh knows how zuko works, Sokka & Zuko (Avatar) Friendship, The Jasmine Dragon (Avatar), aang doesn't give up either zuko, seriously his usual is hot chocolate, sokka and zuko are totally bros, sokka doesn't like tea, teashop, zuko didn't skrew up in ba sing se, zuko working in a teashop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:29:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24191356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvelynMichelle/pseuds/EvelynMichelle
Summary: This time the Gaang have to beg Zuko to teach the Avatar firebending.AU where Zuko didn't make the worst mistake of his life in Ba Sing Se. Now Aang needs to convince his firebending teacher to teach him before the Day of Black Sun.If only he wasn't so darn stubborn.
Relationships: The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 187
Kudos: 3230
Collections: The Best of Avatar the Last Airbender





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was a completely different story when it popped in my head. Now it's this. Honestly, I don't even remember what it used to be.  
> There's six chapters to it but it's already finished.

The first time Aang asked he was laughed at. 

Ba Sing Se was safe, for now at least. Azula had escaped because of course, she had. No prison could hold the Fire Nation Princess. 

Not that she’d even made it to prison.

But most importantly, Zuko had saved Aang’s life.

They hadn’t even known Zuko could bend lightning.

It wasn’t perfect, his uncle had said so after he’d collapsed. The lightning had spent too long in his stomach. But they were reassured the next morning that he was up and as cranky as ever, apparently content to work in his uncle’s tea shop like nothing had happened.

They stayed in Ba Sing Se to plan for the Day of Black Sun. The two Fire Nation Princes’ just… stayed.

It was actually Toph’s idea. Aang still kept up on his training, after all, it wouldn’t do for the Avatar to get lazy. And one day she just brought it up while throwing chunks of the Great Wall of Ba Sing Se at him.

“Hey, you should ask Zappy to teach you firebending.”

Aang didn’t bend the wall in time. It hurt to pick himself back up, but that’s part of the training anyway.

“What?”

“Zuko, you should have him teach you firebending. That way you can learn that weird lightning thing you guys were talking about and I don’t have to worry about getting zapped every time his crazy sister shows up.”

“Are you nuts?” Sokka piped in from the sidelines he was sharpening his boomerang like it may someday hit someone in a way that actually cuts them. They both know it never will.

“Why not?”

“Do you know how long we’ve spent running from him?”

“Not his fault you’re chicken.”

“Yes! Yes, it is!”

“Okay stop,” Aang said to placate them both. “Toph has a point. He’s here, we’re here. And I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be hard for him to figure out where we live. He’s found us in stranger places. But Sokka’s also right. If I train with Zuko he’d have to come with us when we invade the Fire Nation. His home. Between that and our… history together I don’t think any of us would be comfortable with that arrangement. We’re family, if Sokka’s worried one of us will char broil him in his sleep it’s not going to turn out well for any of us.”

“So guess that makes you the tiebreaker, twinkle toes.”

“What no it doesn’t. This isn’t a tiebreaker decision, Toph. It has to be unanimous or nothing.”

“What? Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“You’re never going to find a firebending teacher then. Oh well, it won’t be all that useful anyway I guess. Eclipse and all that.”

Toph threw another chunk of wall at him. This time he threw it back.

She didn’t want to admit that she was tired of being the new recruit.

They brought it up to Katara at breakfast the next day. Or rather, Toph did. 

“I visited Iroh’s tea shop last night,” she said smug as the day she’d chosen her Earth Rumble stage name.

“By yourself!?” Sokka said after he finished choking on his turkey-pig bacon.

“Yep. Zuko was there too. He tripped over a customer. It was great. His heart rate was so fast.”

“Toph, that’s not very nice. I hope he’s okay, he’s probably still healing from that lightning burn. I wish he’d let me take a look at it.”

Toph smirked in Sokka’s general direction.

“Eh, he didn’t hit the floor. Didn’t even spill the tea as far as I could tell. A couple of customers clapped, so I guess it was a pretty impressive save. Guess you’d have to be pretty agile to shoot fire from your feet, huh? No wonder he’s so good at it.”

“Yeah, too bad he’s been using it to HUNT US DOWN!”

“I don’t know, Sokka, when we were in that prison together it really seemed like he wanted to change. That he had changed. And then he saved Aang’s life. That seems pretty legitimate proof to me doesn’t it?”

“He probably only did it so he could capture Aang himself.” Sokka stuffed so much food in his mouth that they could barely even understand him. But the general gist was obvious.

“I think, I think it’s too late for that.” Aang pushed his non-meat tofu thing around on his plate, not eating any of it. Toph didn’t blame him, she couldn’t even see and she thought it was gross. “The way General Iroh danced around the subject I get the feeling they’re both going to get blamed for the Fire Nation losing the city a second time. They’re probably officially traitors now.”

“But pretty good firebenders,” Toph added. “Maybe even good enough to teach.”

“Well…” Katara started lowering her chopsticks and staring at her plate. “He is a really good firebender. That thing he did with the lightning was incredible, even if it wasn’t perfect. But he’d have to come with us and I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

“I know right? We can’t have him sleeping next to us. We can’t feel safe with the Avatar Hunter five feet away.”

“Oh, um I suppose so. But that wasn’t what I meant.”

“Why not?”

“Well, I was more worried about how it would affect him.”

“WHY!!!!?”

“The Fire Lord is his father, right? I don’t know if I want to ask someone to help us get rid of their dad.”

Sokka hit his forehead hard enough to make a noise, Toph imagined a big red mark there though she had no way of knowing if there was one… or what red even looked like. Really she just imagined that it hurt.

“I doubt he’s a very good dad. Considering how both his kids turned out.” Toph huffed, blowing hair out of her face more out of boredom than it actually bothering her.

“But still…”

“That would be up to him.” Aang finally ate some of his slop. Gross. “Just because I ask, doesn’t mean he has to agree.”

“Yeah, and we can always just leave him somewhere before the actual invasion. It’s not like he’ll be very useful, with the no bending and all.”

“Hehe, yeah about that… Zuko’s just as terrifying without his bending, trust me.” Aang gave a shiver, not a real one, just one of those fake ones people do to prove their point.

“What seriously?” Sokka’s voice went all high pitched. “Yeah, now I want him sleeping next to me.”

“When have we ever fought him without his bending?” Katara sounded worried but Toph just wished Aang would stop arguing both sides.

“It's a long story.” 

“Look, the point is. We know he doesn’t want to hurt Aang or he’d have just let crazy head shoot him full of lightning. He’s a firebender who doesn’t want Aang dead or locked up. And Aang needs to learn firebending eventually anyway. Not to mention he lives close enough that I can walk down the road and feel people come in and out of that tea shop. Firebending teachers don’t come gift-wrapped any more plainly than if his uncle had used actual wrapping paper.”

Everyone looked at Sokka who whined like a baby.

“Uhg, fine. I guess I can always kick his butt if he turns on us or something. Might give me something fun to do later.”

So the group decided to buy dinner that night from a Fire Nation Prince’s Earth Kingdom tea shop in the hopes that Aang could get a chance to ask.

Zuko was working when they arrived. And sure enough, he immediately quit.

His uncle assured them he didn’t mean it. Zuko apparently quit once a week, maybe twice if someone looked at him funny. Iroh didn’t seem bothered so they didn’t let it bother them. They did have to ask him where they went because they had something to ask… no wait Katara wanted to try and heal him again. Apparently, they were lying now.

The old man wasn’t fooled, the way his heart thumped he was either lying through his teeth when he told them Zuko was probably sulking in the backroom or it was the proudest day of his, very long, life.

Toph wasn’t surprised when she felt Zuko throw his apron out the back window of the shop.

Aang politely asked for permission to go in the back rooms. He could have asked for the key to the whole store and it wouldn’t have changed a thing.

“What do you want, Avatar?”

“Aang, my name’s Aang.”

“I don’t care.”

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t as clear cut as Toph had expected it to be. That didn’t make her wrong.

“Right… Well I was wondering if you-”

“No, I’m not letting your waterbending pet shove her magic water down my throat,” he snapped.

“I’m right here.” Katara took offense though that was exactly what he’d hoped for. She was so easily played and Zuko was actually kind of afraid of them, just a little, so she made a convenient distraction. “And that’s not how it works.”

“That’s not actually what I wanted to ask.”

“Then say it or get out.”

Aang bowed in a very poor version of the Fire Nation’s traditional bow. Toph knew how to do it right because she was handled.

“Zuko, I would be honored if you would teach me firebending.”

There was a beat of silence before the laughing started. The calm before the storm apparently because it was loud, loud, and hard. Like people stopped moving in the shop proper because it sounded like someone was dying. Zuko was wiping away tears and everything. Aang’s heart rate skyrocketed in his chest.

“I… uh, I was being serious…”

“And there’s the punch line.” Zuko managed to choke out before he shoved them all back out into the shop the door slamming behind them. The laughing didn’t stop.

Later that night, as they all slept on the floor together, ignoring the house’s many perfectly serviceable bedrooms, Sokka told her that in all the time they’d known him, Zuko hadn’t so much as smiled at them in a way that wasn’t condescending.

Toph could feel the heat from Aang’s blush across the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Aang was gone when Katara woke up. It wasn’t unusual for him to leave in the mornings. Appa needed feeding and Aang liked sunrises but she made breakfast for him anyway. He could eat it when he came back, one of the benefits of a vegetarian diet, his food didn’t need to be kept warm.

He came back as she was setting the table anyway so she felt vindicated in her life choices for just a few seconds.

“Did you sleep at all?” She asked when he came in rubbing his eyes and answering her question before she even asked it.

“Not really.” He yawned.

“Well, help me wake the others up and you can tell me what happened.”

“Nothing happened,” Aang said but poked Toph awake anyway. 

Katara splashed Sokka awake. Water was the best way to wake him up without involving bodily harm.

“Tell me anyway.” 

“I kept thinking about yesterday.” He wrangled a sleepy and grumpy Toph onto her feet as she tried to bully him into letting her go back to sleep. It involved lots of punching but she was too sleepy for earthbending.

“Yesterday?”

“Zuko.”

“Ha! Now that was a good time.” Toph was particularly mean in the mornings. Aang wasn’t bothered though. 

“You were up all night because Zuko refused to teach you?” She ignored Toph and shoved a bowl into Sokka’s hands. The promise of food was the best way to keep Sokka from going back to sleep without involving bodily harm.

Mornings were routine by now, she liked that about their current group. It was predictable. Adding a new member might change that, especially if it was Zuko.

“Zuko didn’t refuse,” Sokka gave a sleepy laugh, “he was too busy laughing at you to refuse.”

“That’s not… I mean. Yeah.” Aang looked awkward as well as sleepy now.

“It’s not a big deal, Aang. We’ll find someone else.”

“No, we won’t.” Aang pushed Toph into a chair as Katara placed the food on the table. Sokka came willingly once the food was available.

“Zuko isn’t the only firebender in the world. You can always find one after the eclipse when the war is over.”

“No.”

She looked at him, there was a stubborn look on his face and Katara knew better than to argue when Aang set his mind to something, but still…

“Why is this so important all the sudden?”

The look fell, replaced by confusion. “I’m not sure, but it feels like it has to be Zuko. Like it had to be Toph.”

Toph flicked a chunk of egg at Sokka. “Ha, I win.”

“Why him?” Sokka whined. “Why not his uncle, or Ju Ju, or whatever.”

“Ju Ju?”

“Jong Jong,” Katara translated.

“Oh… I don’t know why. I guess it’s one of those Avatar things.” He looked thoughtful as he tossed a piece of cantaloupe in his mouth. “But if I had to make a guess, I think it’s the scar.”

“Huh?”

“Scar?” Toph looked more curious than Katara thought she really should.

“Oh, yeah. It’s a pretty big one on his face.” Aang explained moving a hand over his eye so her feet could get as close an approximation as they could.

“It makes him look scary and mean. That’s all that’s important about it.”

“Sokka. That’s cruel.”

“No, it’s not.” Aang had to backtrack after Katara gave him a scolding look. “I mean it’s not all that’s important about it. It’s a burn.”

“So.”

“So a firebender with a burn scar that bad has to know how easy it is to hurt someone accidentally.” 

The three of them didn’t say anything for a second. Sokka looked vaguely guilty and Toph still looked far too interested.

Katara was wondering, not for the first time, just where that scar had come from. And more importantly, how much it had hurt.

“Aang, that was an accident. I wasn’t even really that hurt.”

“But you could have been. That’s why I think it’s so important for me to have a firebending teacher who… who gets that, you know?”

“I know you’d never do it again.”

“I don’t. You trained me, Katara. You know I’m not the most focused person in the world. I’ll forget, or I’ll get lazy, or bored. I don’t want you guys getting hurt because I started chasing butterflies again.”

“Okay, fine. But you forget, none of this matters if he won’t do it.” Toph stabbed the rest of her egg with unnecessary force before shoving her chopstick, still empty, in her mouth.

“I know, that’s why I went to talk to General Iroh this morning.” Aang surreptitiously airbended all Toph’s food into a pile on the center of her plate so she wouldn’t have to search for it. It was an unspoken rule that no one tells her he did this… ever.

Sokka opened his mouth, but Aang beat him to it.

“Yes, by myself. I figured Zuko wouldn’t be at the shop that early so I could talk about him without him overhearing.”

“What did General Iroh say?” Katara tried to not sound too interested. Iroh had been in favor of them asking him yesterday if his beaming smile was anything to be believed. He hadn’t thought the idea was hilarious. 

“He told me that Zuko hadn’t meant to offend me.”

“Liar.”

“Yeah, well. Y’know. Anyway, he said not to give up.”

“So what? Zuko’s just playing hard to get or something?” Sokka asked.

“No, not like that. More like… Well, he said that with all the changes he’s going through he’s starting to view himself differently. That when he looks in the mirror it’s not the ‘banished prince’ he sees but someone else. And that he’s still not sure he knows who that new person is.”

“Someone with hair for one thing.” 

“Sokka, it’s not a joke.”

“Hey if he’s allowed to laugh at us, I’m allowed to laugh at him. Besides, you know that haircut was ridiculous.”

“That’s beside the point.”

“You didn’t deny it.”

“I suppose,” she said stiffly to shut Sokka up, “it makes sense. After we started training with Master Pakku I hardly recognized myself either. I was so much stronger and more grown-up than I had been before we found you, Aang. It felt like a new, better woman was replacing me. And all I did was learn how to waterbend. Zuko’s whole life is going in a different direction.”

“Yeah…” Aang said sounding understanding before— “I don’t get it.”

“Of course you don’t.” She smiled at him, there was something wonderful about how confident Aang was in his own identity, not as the Avatar: last hope of the world, but as Aang.

“Anyway, he said one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“The first rule of making any progress getting Zuko to do anything is to never give up. Ever. Like ever ever. He emphasized that a lot, with many examples.”

Katara laughed.

“The second rule is that Zuko never gives up either.”

So they were doomed from the start.


	3. Chapter 3

Sokka was the king of terrible plans. Like seriously, someone give him a crown already but make it cheap ‘cuz he’d probably throw it at someone in a desperate plan of attack.

He made so many bad plans that every once in awhile he was bound to make a few good ones. Just the rules of probability and maybe a bit of luck.

Of course, he’d used up all his planning luck organizing the invasion on the Day of Black Sun, but y’ know that didn’t stop him from making more terrible plans.

Like this one for example.

It took him four trips into Iroh’s tea shop for him to work up the courage. The first time Zuko wasn’t even there, one of Iroh’s employees told him he didn’t come in till about midmorning so that one hardly counted. The second he’d accidentally used Zuko’s real name instead of the alias so Zuko pretended he didn’t even exist and Iroh had to take his order. The third time Aang was there telling him all about their trip and how much fun it would be if Zuko came with him and Zuko looked ready to set his own hair on fire so that probably wasn’t the best time. By the time he managed to follow through it was already dusk and Zuko had figured out he wasn’t really there for tea.

“Why won’t you people leave me alone?” Zuko demanded before Sokka even had a chance to sit down. Iroh usually scolded him whenever he was rude to customers but I guess the Avatar’s crew didn’t really count as customers. Even if they were seriously pushing their food budget with how often they popped in between the four of them. They’d all frequented this tea place way too much lately.

“It’s really good tea?” Sokka shrugged.

“You don’t even like tea!”

“I like tea,” Sokka shouldn’t be offended. “I’m just… picky.”

“Name one kind you like.”

“There’s different kinds?”

Zuko stared at him a little too long… “I’ve never related more to anything anyone’s ever said to me.”

“What does he want, Nephew?”

“Mint,” Zuko called back. Before turning back to Sokka, “it actually tastes like something.”

“Oh good choice,” Iroh says back.

“Thanks.” Now was his chance, they’d agreed on something. They’d bonded!

Kinda

“Oh, hey. I wanted to ask you something.” He made it sound like he’d just thought of it which was dumb because Zuko was still standing there waiting for him to explain why he was really there.

“If the Avatar sent you-”

“No! No nothing like that. Aang doesn’t even know I’m here.”

“Then ask already. I’ve got work to do.”

Sokka felt his face flush, he hadn’t even sat down yet.

“Aang said something about, um. You being able to fight y’ know without…” Why was this so hard? Okay sure the guy used to try and kill him but they were in the middle of his uncle’s tea shop. The worst thing he could do was refuse.

“Are you asking me if I can use a sword?”

“Or, y’ know, anything else.”

“Then why are you acting like you’re asking me out on a date?” The entire room was watching them now, some openly laughing at him.

“Look do you wanna fight me or not!”

“Spirits, yes. I’m ready to fight just about anything at the moment.”

“Really?” Sokka couldn’t help but get a little excited when was the last time he’d gotten to spar with someone who wasn’t cheating with magic and sonic vision?

“Remember your injuries, Nephew,” Iroh warned from way in the back as though he could somehow hear them.

“And that’s why.” Zuko rolled his eyes though Sokka couldn’t help but notice a hint of a smile also. Well, that was disturbingly adorable. He’d have to forget all about that.

“Cool, Aang says you don’t work mornings?”

* * *

The next morning Sokka woke up way too early almost giving Katara a heart attack.

“Icicles! It did sound like I was asking him out.”

“What?” Katara stared at him like he was the dead come back to life.

“Wha? oh, ah. Nothing… weird dream.”

“Sounds like it. Are you getting up?”

“Yeah. I’ve got plans.” Sokka grabbed his belt-matching bag and started digging through it. “I’ll leave a bit early so I can practice. Toph can have my breakfast. I’ll grab something on the way.”

“Sokka, we really need to watch how much we’re spending on food.”

“I know, but I’ve got a bit extra from getting Momo’s food the other day. He eats so much of Appa’s we probably don’t even need to buy him his own. I’ll just use that.”

Satisfied she turned back to their breakfast. “It’s a good thing General Iroh’s prices are reasonable.”

“I know right. I think Aang is under the impression he can bribe Zuko into teaching him by giving all our money to his uncle.”

Sokka left the house an hour before he’d planned and didn’t grab breakfast.

Zuko was still earlier.

“Do you sleep, like ever?” Sokka yawned. The location for their duel was Zuko’s idea, it looked like an earthbender school yard. Lots of rocks scattered around but mostly an even surface and big enough for movement and it was walled in, so unlikely any guards would notice and take offense to fighting in the streets.

“Firebender,” Zuko said pushing himself to his feet at Sokka’s arrival. Sokka waited but apparently, he thought that was explanation enough.

“Do firebenders not sleep?” He prompted.

“Natural morning people.”

“No wonder they turned evil.”

Apparently, the angry not-ponytail guy had a real sense of humor after all because he laughed. He also had swords, two swords, two really cool swords.

Sokka didn’t squeal, that was a war cry. Meant to confuse the enemy. And it was very successful because Zuko was very confused.

Zuko even let Sokka hold them.

“They’re not toys,” Zuko warned like Sokka was acting like a child.

Okay, maybe he was, a little.

“I didn’t know you had swords.” Sokka flushed a bit and handed them back. “When Aang said— I just assumed you could fight like Suki or something.”

“Who?”

“Unarmed.”

“Oh, yeah. I can do that too.” Zuko shrugged, he was casually examining Sokka’s boomerang. Sokka wondered if he was remembering how it had conked him at the south pole.

“Seriously?”

“Firebending requires a similar mindset to unarmed combat. Lots of punches and kicks. It’s really not that impressive.” He tossed the boomerang back. “How does it work?”

“Water tribe secret,” Sokka smirked. “I’ll tell you if you beat me.”

“Not much of a secret then is it.” There was an awkward sort of smile on his face.

“Cocky little jerkbender.” Sokka grumbled but took up a stance on the opposite side of the arena.

“I really hope you’ve improved some since last time or I might as well have stayed at home.”

Sokka’s war cry was much better this time, loud and proud.

Zuko kicked his butt.

Hard.

He didn’t even use the swords. Not even to block Sokka’s machete.

“You lasted longer than at the south pole.”

“But—I—HOW?!”

“If it makes you feel better I’ve been training since I was five. Y’know with masters.”

“Oh come on! But I was getting better!” Sokka flopped onto his back, Zuko’s upside-down face hovering over him.

“Your center of balance was all over the place.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Zuko sighed and reached out a hand. “Get up. I’ll show you.”

Sokka took the hand. Was Zuko, evil fire nation scary ponytail guy going to show him some moves? Would someone do that to trick them into trusting them? It would be counterproductive, right?

All thoughts of it being a trick vanished when Zuko handed him one of the dao.

“Machete’s that short aren’t made for combat, use this for now.”

“Just one? I thought they were a pair.”

“They are, but I don’t think you have the coordination for dual swords, so we’re going to treat it like it’s just one.”

“I could totally—”

“Make a fighting stance.” Zuko interrupted his voice bossy and forceful. Not quite like Katara’s bossy voice, but close enough that Sokka instinctively obeyed.

“A real fighting stance, Water Tribe.”

“I am!”

Zuko looked him for longer than Sokka really thought was necessary.

“How are all of you still alive?”

“Umm, because you don’t know what a plan is?” Sokka shrugged.

Zuko sighed, “I walked into that one, didn’t I.”

“Sure did.”

“Look, you have to be balanced, a weak stance will end the fight before it even begins.”

* * *

Sokka had never been more exhausted in his life. Like seriously, that all day chase with Zuko’s crazy sister, nothing compared to this.

And he was barely exaggerating either. At least that hadn’t involved him having sore muscles in places that he didn’t even know could do that. Like seriously? Why was his ear sore too?

Zuko hadn’t been tired at all. He was still insisting Sokka walk it off when he had to break it up for his shift at the tea shop.

Part of Sokka hoped he’d, at least, take a break before work. The part of him that was dying hoped the teashop was super busy tonight.

“Sokka, what happened?” Katara cried as Sokka collapsed onto his sleeping bag face first.

“Oww.”

She abandoned her and Toph’s card game grabbing her waterskin as she rushed over. “What happened?”

“Uh…” he hadn’t actually decided what he was going to tell them. Toph was right there, so the truth was safest. “Zuko and I were fighting.”

“WHAT?”

“Not like that.”

“Oh…” She didn’t start waterbending yet, but she was still kneeling next to him. “You asked Zuko to spar with you?”

Why did it sound like she was laughing at him? Behind her, Toph was cheating at their card game feeling all of Katara’s cards for the little marks they’d placed so she could identify her hand.

“Aang said he doesn’t need to firebend. I thought it’d be cool. It was cool, he has swords.”

“You have a sword.”

“Real swords.”

“Did he hurt you?” She started waterbending but didn’t touch him with it yet.

Sokka groaned as he pushed himself to a seating position. “No, just sore.”

“You pushed yourself too hard then. Take it easier next time.” She started with his legs and Sokka sighed with relief almost immediately.

“That’s his fault, not mine.”

She made a disbelieving sort of huff. It was a sound only girls could make.

“I mean it. Stupid fire prince isn’t human I swear.”

She moved on to the other leg, and Sokka had never been more thrilled to have a waterbender for a sister.

“Did you at least win?”

“Ha, yeah, no. Not at all.”

Toph cracked up and Sokka tried to not be embarrassed that a twelve-year-old was laughing at him.

“Sokka, no offense, but you seriously lost… to Zuko.” Katara wasn’t helping any.

“Dude, okay, you’ve got no idea.”

“He tripped over a person last week.” Toph giggled, “not exactly mister fancy feet over there.”

“He is though! Are you kidding, that guy 1v1s the avatar!”

Katara still had a skeptical look. “General Iroh said he fell off a roof the other day.”

“AND GOT RIGHT BACK UP! That’s not nothing Katara!”

“I mean, I suppose we were normally fighting him three on one, but I don’t know, Sokka. He’s not exactly a ninja.”

“Who’s not a ninja?” Aang hopped back (probably having gotten kicked out of the Jasmine Dragon again) in the house from the giant hole Toph had thrown a victory tantrum at. They should probably fix that at some point.

“Zuko.”

“Sure he is.” Aang shrugged and the three of them just stared.

“Sorry, what?”

“Well, I mean I guess not officially. But he could be if he wanted to.” He sat down on the floor and they were all still staring at him. “Well… hekindasortabrokemeoutoffirenationprisononce.”

That didn’t stop the staring.

“When were you in fire nation prison!” Katara’s voice did that thing where it went like an octave higher and unnecessarily loud. That was another thing only girls could do.

“You understood that?”

Aang gave an awkward chuckle.

“Well, I’m sure you two are going to have a very long, angry conversation about this somewhere else. Because I’m taking a nap.”

“Sokka.” Katara scolded as though he should also be seriously offended that he didn’t know Aang had gotten captured.

“Katara I just spent four hours learning basic swordsmanship from a guy who’s tutors used to burn him if he so much as yawned. I’m. Taking. A. Nap!”

Now they were staring at him. Oops, he hadn’t meant to tell Aang he’d had lessons… or any of them about the burning thing.

“You picked a really good firebending teacher, Aang.” Sokka yawned and buried himself in his blanket and sleeping bag pile.

“Oh, yeah. He agrees to teach you,” Aang huffed. “No fair.”

“I don’t really think that’s the problem here,” Toph said quietly, but nobody had a response.


	4. Chapter 4

Toph liked to watch. Which was funny considering her status as the resident blind girl.

Aang had told her his old friend Boomy claimed he’d needed an earthbending teacher who waited and listened to the earth, and Toph had never had her whole existence so easily summarized before. And not just in earthbending either. Waiting and listening for an opportunity for freedom was how she’d survived her parents, it was how she’d joined Aang, and it was how she made jokes.

But sometimes while waiting and listening the joke comes together all on its own. Toph was always willing to add the punchline, but some people were the punchline of their own lives.

That was why Sokka was her favorite. She didn’t have to make fun of him (though she did do a lot of that) the universe did it for her. He’d mock an animal he was hunting only to fall in a hole and spend the whole day naming it. Buy a new shirt only for a bird to immediately poop on it. Describe a guy by his silly ponytail and insult his face only to realize that same guy can kick his butt six ways from Sunday.

So, naturally, Toph was elated to learn that Zuko was the exact same way… at first.

Zuko got all the awful customers. Like all of them. A guy who wanted tea without any actual tea in it, check, a lady who’s order always seemed to be wrong no matter how many times he filled it, ding ding, obnoxiously loud teenagers who couldn’t figure out what to order, jackpot. Give ‘em all to Sunshine over there.

And, of course, that wasn’t enough, nope. The dunderheads who were mortally offended by the rumors spreading that the Jasmine Dragon was run by firebenders all seemed to show up while Zuko was there. And all of them wanted a fight as though these idiots didn’t realize that being a known firebender in Ba Sing Se attracted a whole lot more trouble than any one of them could dish out.

And there was Aang… Just Aang. Fluttering about like a hummingbird-bee telling him stories asking questions, basically being a nuisance.

It was about two weeks after the Fire Nation’s failed infiltration that she decided Zuko’s misfortunes weren’t as funny as Sokka’s. 

It was around the time she discovered, to her absolute delight, that Zuko had a bad habit of sneaking out at night. People being sneaky was the best, because that meant they had something to hide.

She followed him, because duh, secrets! Even with the Dai Li disbanded and the city no longer under Long Feng’s thumb, there was still a strict curfew. Toph wasn’t bothered if she got caught all she had to do was play up her blindness and claim she was lost, but an escort home would make it harder to spy on Zuko, so she was careful to stay out of sight. 

She almost lost him anyway when he started climbing on rooftops. She could still feel him, but shingles messed with her vibrations. He finally came down in the place where he and Sokka had been sparring/teaching Sokka how to not die. She’d come to watch a couple of times, but they kept changing the location so Aang wouldn’t find them and interrupt. Zuko knew all the cool places in the city and now she knew why. He snuck around to find them himself so he had secret places to practice.

In the middle of the night.

Alone.

Just like she had back home.

She cheered after one particularly cool spin scaring poor Sunshine to death.

“Oops.” Thankfully, he’d had the sense not to scream but he’d sounded like he wanted to. “Sorry.”

“What,” he breathed, “are you doing here?”

She could feel him trying to lower his own heart rate with even breaths.

“I followed you.”

“Why?” He huffed.

“I was curious.”

“It’s the middle of the night…” he complained finally standing up straight.

“Exactly!” she approached and he didn’t shy away and poked him hard, but he didn’t whine like Sokka did he just tried and failed, to dodge it. “You’re sneaking around in the middle of the night. Why wouldn’t I be curious?”

“I’m not hurting anyone.” He sounded offended like she’d thought he was spying for the Fire Nation or something. She laughed.

“Please, like I’m worried about you, Sunshine.” She waved his concerns away. “I said I was curious. Not suspicious.”

He didn’t say anything else, putting the swords away and stretching.

“So spill,” Toph ordered poking him again. “Why are you out here in the middle of the night?”

“I was practicing.” He turned and sat against one of the buildings enclosing his training area. It was a shop of some kind, but Toph didn’t care enough to figure out what kind. His pulse was still high, and his breathing was purposefully controlled. Leftover from the exercise no doubt rather than the scare. Toph sat down too and she could feel his body stiffen beside her. Like he was afraid, or maybe just confused. Possibly both.

“Obviously, but why at night?”

“It’s quieter.”

“Oh, but Sokka says you get up really early. Don’t you sleep?”

“Not very well.”

That wasn’t something Toph could really understand. She’d heard of people who have trouble sleeping, but she’d always slept like a rock. 

“Sokka’s right. You’re really good.”

He laughed under his breath. She hit him in the leg, harder than her affectionate punch, but not hard enough to bruise.

“Ow. What was that for?”

“What? You think I’m a liar?”

“Never mind.”

Toph raised her fist to hit him again.

“Fine! You’re not a liar.”

“Than what’s so funny.” She put her fist down and he scooted farther away to avoid the next one. She closed the distance. He wasn’t getting away that easy.

“Sokka will be better than me in a year,” he grumbled hugging his legs.

She thought about it before replying. She thought she saw the problem.

“How long have you been practicing?”

“Since I was eight.”

“Oh.”

She let that settle between them for a moment. “You practice a lot, don’t you.”

“Yeah.”

And Toph wondered if that was the problem after all. If that was why he was having so much trouble accepting Aang as a student, accepting all of them as friends. They were all so talented. Aang was the avatar, he'd mastered airbending by the time he was twelve, waterbending in like a week, and he was close to mastering earthbending already (though she'd never tell him that.) Katara was a master bender and a healer. Toph was the greatest earthbender in the world, and Sokka... well Sokka was the exception, for now. 

“But you have a lot of different skills. Sokka’s basically rubbish at everything else.” She offered laughing but he didn’t laugh with her.

“Right, skills like getting my butt kicked by a twelve-year-old, a waterbender who doesn’t even know how to waterbend, and a kid who doesn’t even know how his own weapon works. Not to mention my little sister. Can’t forget her.” He grumbled rubbing his right eye. And looking up at the sky.

“You’re… really hard on yourself.”

“I know,” he sighed. “Perfection was standard where I grew up.”

“Huh.” She remembered his Uncle comparing the two of them because neither wanted to allow anyone else to help them. It seemed like they both had different reasons for it. “I, sort of, had the opposite problem. My parents wanted me to be helpless and fragile, but that’s just not me.”

“That’s dumb.”

“Yeah.”

“Parents suck.”

“Definitely.”

“Airbenders have the right idea. Just ditch the kid at birth. You’ll do less damage that way.” He said, with a hint of a laugh.

“Ha! Nice one.” She elbowed him and he didn’t even try to dodge. “I’ve met Sokka and Katara’s dad and he doesn’t seem so bad so maybe they’re not all hopeless.”

“My uncle was a good dad.” He offered, rubbing his arm.

“Uncle has kids?”

“Past tense.”

“Oh.”

The silence he was so fond of stretched a little too long, she felt a guard pass by and wondered if he noticed it too. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t saying anything else. Maybe it’s just because he liked the quiet.

Toph didn’t like the quiet.

“Well fine then!” she said once the guard had passed far enough away and jumped onto her feet. “We can’t let that happen.”

“What?”

“Sokka. He’s not allowed to get better than you. Then his ego will be unbearable. Which means you’ve got to get better faster than he does.” She reached out a hand to him. “You’re no good by yourself, so I guess I’ll have to do something about that.”

He didn’t take her hand immediately and she huffed some hair out of her face.

“Uncle taught me that just because you can do something by yourself, doesn’t mean that’s the most efficient way to get things done. If you’re that good by yourself, imagine how much better you’ll do with help.”

“My uncle?”

“Please, he’s everyone’s uncle.”

He laughed, a small unsure little laugh, but it was better than nothing and took Toph’s hand. She pulled him to his feet and stomped hard on the ground. A Sokka sized soldier guy appeared out of the rock below. 

“So here’s what we’ll do. I’ll try and pin you with my little rock man. You try and kill him.”

“That’s really impressive earthbending.”

“Yeah, I know. Head’s up, Sunshine!” She sent the soldier after him without further warning and he swore at it in surprise, clearly not prepared.

“Ow!” 

She helped him back up one more time, because, unlike Sokka, he works way too hard to be the punchline of his own life. 

But she still reserved the right to make fun of him herself even if no one else was ever again. 

After all, Uncle was right. They were so much alike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never again! POV as Toph SUCKS. I wrote three entirely different drafts of this chapter and hated all but this one. I wasn't even planning on doing a Toph chapter cuz she kinda narrated the first one, some people asked for one and I felt like the story would be better for it. So here it is, finally after working on it for over ten hours straight.


	5. Chapter 5

Iroh always tried to enjoy life. Whether he was on the battlefield of Ba Sing Se, at sea in a battleship with a crew he hardly trusted and a nephew that was in far too much pain to not be expected to take it out on others, or begging in the streets of earth kingdom villages (also with a nephew that was at least trying to not lash out.) But this, this might just be the pinnacle.

His own teashop, happy customers, a safe home. And best of all his nephew was actually happy, or well mostly. Still working on that last one a bit, but happier at least. The avatar’s group of children were a joy to have around and Iroh knew Zuko enjoyed their visits more than he admitted.

The little airbender flitted in and out constantly, doing his culture proud with how he buzzed around Zuko. Even doing his best to avoid becoming troublesome by helping his nephew out. Sometimes carrying teapots or remembering orders Zuko had forgotten. If he worked any harder Iroh might have considered paying him. He was relieved to find that the avatar was taking his advice to heart.

And it wasn’t just the Avatar. Even Iroh hadn’t expected how readily his nephew attached himself to the water tribe warrior. Zuko had never had his own friends before. He’d played with Azula’s friends, certainly, but never any of his own and certainly not another male his own age. Even Lu Ten was a good fifteen years older than his cousin. So Iroh really shouldn’t be surprised, but he was. And if he was surprised to find his nephew making friends he was flabbergasted to hear Zuko was actually teaching the boy swordsmanship. Zuko was much more confident in his swordplay than his firebending, Ozai had never taken the slightest interest in that skill so Zuko was free to learn it at his own pace, leaving him to really flourish in a way he didn’t with firebending. Not until Iroh had taken over his training anyway.

Iroh had already sent a friendly letter to Piandao to tell him his favorite student had a student of his own. He’d be delighted.

The lady waterbender came in often as well. Sometimes to pry the avatar away from Zuko, sometimes just for a cup of tea and a nice chat. She spent a week pestering Zuko about the lightning burn, lasting longer than even Iroh in her insistence that he have it looked at, namely by her. As with most strong women she eventually was proven right when her brother got a good solid kick in during one of their sparring sessions aggravating the still healing burn. She was more than a little smug, but Zuko deserved it for putting it off as long as he had.

As for the earthbender, Iroh had worried about her. She had a knack for taunting that he was worried Zuko would translate into mockery. Openly laughing at him when he stumbled or messed up but never trying to be cruel. It grated on his nephew, he knew, his pride was still a fragile, fragile thing. It took a very confident man to be able to laugh at his own failings and Zuko just wasn’t there yet. And then they’d had one of ‘those’ customers. There are always customers you can’t please in any business and Iroh tries very hard to keep Zuko away from them, patience not being one of his nephew’s many talents it was just safer to deal with them himself. But he hadn’t caught this one in time. Hadn’t even known there was a problem until it was dealt with. And by dealt with, of course, the woman had been bodily thrown from the shop by a blind earthbender claiming that since she didn’t work there she was at liberty to do whatever she wanted. 

Zuko stopped taking offense to her teasing after that, though he didn’t stop getting mad. She wouldn’t have wanted that.

Iroh gave Zuko a day off about a month after the Avatar’s first attempt at recruiting his firebending teacher. Zuko was suspicious, of course, but he did what he was told and stayed out of the teashop. The avatar and his friends all were invited for a free cup of tea that afternoon close enough to closing that they’d have his undivided attention.

The tea hadn’t even brewed before the avatar started complaining.

“I don’t get it, General Iroh. Why won’t he teach me? He’s teaching Sokka. And Sokka says he’s really good at it.”

“When he’s not trying to kill me anyway.”

“My nephew is a very complicated young man. He doesn’t do things just to be contrary, or to aggravate. He has reasons.”

“But why? You said if I didn’t give up I could convince him.”

“No, I said the only way to convince him is to never give up.” Iroh moved to pour the tea, but the waterbender beat him to it. He'd always admired waterbenders, their art was as beautiful as it was dangerous. Almost as lovely as fire itself.

“Is it me? Because I’m the avatar?”

“It’s possible that’s part of it, but I believe he’s mostly past that by now.” He took a sip of the tea she’d so kindly served him. “In a way, you represent many of the things he’s lost. Things he has only recently accepted that he’s never getting back. That loss still stings, but Zuko is strong enough to heal those wounds now.”

“We don’t exactly have all the time in the world.” The young warrior had a look on his face, a look that said he genuinely wished they did have the time. It was nice to see others who wanted to help Zuko heal properly. Children who could understand wounds that ran too deep. Perhaps they had wounds of their own.

“I believe the problem lies more in the subject matter than the student.” Iroh took another sip.

“He doesn’t wanna teach firebending? Why? Does he not like it or something?” Lady Beifong said as though such a thing was unfathomable in her young mind. Perhaps it was.

“My nephew’s confidence in his own abilities is shaky at best,” Iroh tells the earthbender her blind eyes only stare at her cup, but he knows she’s looking at him in her own way. How ever that may be. “My brother was… harsh with his criticism. And I’m afraid Zuko didn’t take it well.”

“He doesn’t think he’s a good firebender?” her cup hit it’s saucer a little harder than Iroh would prefer when she put it back down either misjudging the distance or in her frustration. “That’s dumb. Sparky shot lightning from his fingers! Who even does that?”

“Well, he redirected it from another source, but if anything that’s more impressive.” Lady Katara said moving her young friend’s saucer out of the way. Iroh gave her a thankful nod, it was safer if it hit the table too hard. “I know I have a lot more trouble bending water that someone’s thrown at me than just picking it up.”

“The two things are not entirely equal. Lightning is far more complicated to generate, but that hardly diminishes my nephew’s skill. I’m not sure a day will ever come when Prince Zuko genuinely believes he’s mastered firebending. Though he’s far surpassed the skill generally required to claim the title. I used to have to lie to him about the skill level of different techniques because he’d unintentionally sabotage his own efforts if I told him he was working on a level higher than he felt he could accomplish.”

“What, seriously.”

“Very much so.”

“So what, we have to convince him he’s not a crappy firebender?”

“It’s not that simple, I’m afraid. It will take years to properly undo the damage my brother has done to Zuko. And the avatar doesn’t have time to wait.”

“So then we convince him it doesn’t matter if he’s bad?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t want him to think that we think he’s a bad firebender.” Lady Katara refilled their tea with an elegant wave of her hands.

“Or perhaps prove to him that he’s the only one who can teach the avatar,” Iroh suggested. “So that way he has to be good enough, because no one else can be.”

“How though? He hardly even listens to me.”

“In the past few years, I have tried to teach my nephew many things. Things I learned far too late. But there are several he’s taught me as well. While we were on the run, traveling through Earth Kingdom villages we were often forced to beg for our next meal.”

His words made the children uncomfortable. Even in their worst moments, they hadn't been forced so low. Iroh was thankful for that.

“It’s quite alright. There is much to learn from relying on the kindness of strangers and honor in humility but it isn’t easy. Especially for someone with my nephew’s pride.” Iroh laughed, not mocking, but fond. “But after a while, my nephew chose a different route.”

“Let me guess, stealing.”

“Yes. I was disappointed at first, but to my nephew stealing was a lesser crime than begging so I never said anything and after we separated for a time I followed him and discovered something. When he was alone he stopped, he found ways to work for food, or he just didn’t eat.”

“So he was taking care of you,” Lady Beifong said with a sweet smile on his face.

“Perhaps, in his own way. But I don’t believe that’s all to it. Everything my nephew has, he’s earned through hard work and tenacity or by taking it through force. Nothing is ever given, so he’ forced to take what he needs in whatever way he can. Begging was hard on him, not just because of his pride, but because it wasn’t earned it was given. And while it’s a blessing to accept help from others helping yourself makes you stronger. In those short weeks, I learned things many things about my nephew, but there was one thing I learned about life, Avatar.”

“What?”

“Eventually you have to stop begging and take action.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Aang we really should go. I think we should get used to the warmer weather in the Fire Nation before the eclipse and Dad’s letter says the borders will probably be guarded more heavily the closer it is.”

“I know I’m trying. But Zuko’s not cooperating.” Aang stopped his thorough rubdown on Appa to throw his hands up in the air. There was fir everywhere. “General Iroh said to take action, but what does that mean? Should we just kidnap him or something?”

“Maybe we should give him some time. Come back and ask him again after the war when he’s had time to think about it.”

“That’s a terrible idea.”

“No it’s not.” Katara got a little defensive but tried to keep it out of her voice.

“Yes it is. I leave now and by the time we get back he’ll be dead set against it. I promise.” He curled up and she could see his brain working through his eyes. Lately all she’s wanted to do was grab Zuko by the neck and ask him what his problem was. Loudly. And angrily.

“You don’t know that.”

“General Iroh told me I couldn’t give up. If I leave now then I’m giving up.”

“Living to fight another day isn’t the same as surrendering, Aang.”

“Neither is a battlefield a person.”

Katara couldn’t help but laugh. “If you ask me Zuko’s more of a battlefield than a person anyway.”

There it is, she’d finally managed to get him to smile, even just a little. If Iroh was being genuine with his stories and this was how hard Zuko had to work for everything it’s no wonder he was so grumpy all the time. Aang was trying so hard, and Zuko was giving him nothing to work with.

“I’ll settle for a person surrounded by a battlefield,” Aang compromised.

“Only if that battlefield follows him around like a turtleduck.”

“Deal.”

“I don’t know what to do, Katara.” He said after she’d resumed bending Appa’s bathwater to get in between his toes. “I’ve tried everything. Bribery, flattery, being friendly, being angry, stalking him until he firebends at me, I even tried matchmaking!”

“That was your worst idea ever.”

“I don’t know what he wants from me, Katara.”

“Have you tried just asking him what he wants?”

“Yes.” 

“What did he say?”

“He said he wants me to leave him alone.”

“And did you leave him alone.”

“No.” 

“Good.”

He stood and began to pace, fir flying into the air under his feet, no airbending necessary.

“What if he doesn’t want anything? What if nothing I do or say will work? What if we don’t make it before the eclipse ends and I need firebending? What if I just can’t learn firebending because Ozai messed up my teacher? What if he did it on purpose so I couldn’t beat him.”

“Aang, the Fire Lord didn’t ruin Zuko’s life just so he couldn’t teach you firebending.” She blew a tuft of fir off her face.

“How do you know?!”

“You know what you need?”

“Please don’t say waterbending practice.”

“Not this time, though maybe. I think you and Zuko just need to sit down and talk. Like Sokka and I when we fight.” She bent the water down the drain and, sensing it was finally over, Appa shook himself out. Mercifully, this time Katara hadn’t missed any so they stayed dry.

“You and Sokka just yell at each other when you do that.”

“Yeah, but it works. We yell at each other, get all our frustrations out, and in the open but Aang sometimes that’s just what you have to do. Let the resentment and the anger out and let it go.”

“And then forgiveness.” Aang brightened. “Maybe he wants forgiveness.”

“No, Aang, you’re looking at it wrong. I don’t think this is about what he wants from you. Zuko doesn’t need another General Iroh, he’s got all the forgiveness he needs right there. When Sokka and I yell at each other after a fight we don’t forgive each other.”

“But why not? How can you be such good friends if you can’t forgive each other?”

“Because there’s nothing to forgive, silly.” She laughed. “Sokka and I get mad, we get on each other’s nerves. But that’s just who we are, Aang. We’ve lived with each other our whole lives. I know he’s inconsiderate and smelly, I don’t need to forgive him for being something he’s always been. Aang, saying that there’s something there to forgive implies that you think he’s guilty. He saved your life, I think that’s more than enough.”

“I guess.”

“What Sokka and I do isn’t for each other, it’s for ourselves. It’s getting the poison out so we can love each other properly later on.”

“So you think Zuko resents me too?”

“I don’t know, maybe it has nothing to do with you at all and you’re just an easy scapegoat for other frustrations. But I know there’s a lot of poison in those wounds of his, and I don’t think General Iroh can quite get it out all on his own.”

“What do you mean?”

She hesitated wringing a wet soapy towel in her hands nervously unsure if she was saying too much. “Sokka thinks his dad gave him that scar.”

“What? That’s a horrible thing to say, why would you even think that?”

She winced, maybe she shouldn’t have said anything. She didn’t have proof after all.

“You know how they’ve been hanging out? Sparring or whatever boys do for fun.”

“Yeah,” Aang said sounding resentful. She chose to let that go without comment. It was rare that Sokka got to experience someone else being jealous of him instead of the other way around.

“Well, Sokka told me the other day that sometimes Zuko lets things slip things that make Sokka think there was more going on than just a banished prince trying to go home when he was chasing us around. And well, we’ve seen the way his sister treats him.”

“Ozai’s a terrible person but we can’t just assume every bad thing that’s happened to Zuko is his fault.”

“Yeah, your right. I’m sorry.” She wasn’t entirely convinced, Sokka had seemed so sure and he’d said it after punching the wall so hard she’d had to heal him. 

“Regardless I think I’m right. I think Zuko might just need to yell at someone.”

“Zuko yells at everyone.”

“I mean really scream. Maybe it’s wrong to let all your hate out on someone, but it’s better than keeping it inside and letting it fester. He can’t yell at Iroh like that and Iroh’s the only one who wouldn’t take it personally. And Aang, you can’t take it personally.” 

“So what? Just make him mad?”

“You know it’s not that easy.”

“Yeah I do. I’ve made him mad lots of times.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I love how you all jumped straight to kidnapping after that last chapter. Seriously, it was great. Love the comments.


	7. Chapter 7

Aang wonders if Zuko’s always grumpy because he wakes up too early… like every day. When he goes over the next morning to find Zuko Iroh hadn’t even left the apartment yet and Zuko had been gone for hours. Apparently, that was their normal though. The teenager got up super early while the old man slept in. 

Firebenders were weird.

“He trains in the morning,” Iroh told Aang though a big, lazy, retired-old-guy yawn. “He doesn’t like company though.”

“He never likes company.”

“Oh I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Iroh laughed as he poured Aang a cup of the breakfast tea he’d made for himself. He’d already offered half his breakfast but Aang turned him down. He wasn’t staying long enough for that, even if he was flattered that Iroh only offered him the fruit half, even his friends sometimes forgot he was a vegetarian. Well Toph sometimes forgot and she might have been doing that on purpose to get him back for forgetting she’s blind.

“So what’s the plan today? I certainly hope you’re not going to try firebending on your own again.”

“I was trying to prove a point.” Aang flushed but he’d learned his lesson after he’d set the tea shop on fire rapidly blowing what little was left of their cover as Earth Kingdom refugees as they tried to put it out. Zuko had bodily thrown him out after that, telling Aang to leave before he killed Aang himself. “Sorry… again.”

“Making more mistakes than the person next to you just means you’re trying harder.”

“Is that why Zuko makes so many?”

Iroh only smiled at him and told him to look past the wall, and that firebenders rise with the sun.

It was cryptic, but Aang figured it meant he was east of the city where prying eyes and refugees wouldn’t see him firebending. Closer to sunrise.

Appa parked a little away but Zuko clearly saw him because he stopped firebending. Whether it was because he didn’t want to scare the bison or because he didn’t want Aang to pick anything up by observation, Aang wasn’t sure.

“What do you want, Avatar?” He wasn’t wearing green. Way out here he’d taken the opportunity to show his true colors. He looked stronger in red.

“Aang,” Aang insisted, again. Zuko called Sokka, Katara, and Toph by their names. He was the only one that still had a demeaning title. And with Zuko, Avatar was demeaning. “Morning.” 

Zuko sighed and sat down in a slightly meditative stance. Aang knew what he was up to. Practice his breathing while someone was trying their best to disturb him. Good practice, Aang, however, didn’t point this out and just sat down next to him. Not meditating. He didn’t want to cheat and learn off Zuko when Zuko wasn’t willing to teach. He did however note Zuko’s breathing pattern with Toph’s earthbending sight. It was a good chance to practice seeing with his feet.

“What do you want?” Zuko said finally when it became clear Aang wasn’t going to say anything.

“I dunno, to talk I guess.”

“I’m busy.”

“Looks like you’re taking a break to me.”

“Are you trying to irritate me now? Is that your scheme today.”

“I don’t scheme,” Aang grumbled before remembering why he was here. Operation Make Zuko angry was going to be the easiest one yet.

“Are you mad at me?”

A look crossed his face so fast Aang couldn’t begin to read it.

“I’m mad at everyone.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well when did it start?”

“I don’t know.”

That’s when Aang learned his first real Zuko fact: Zuko was a terrible liar. Like seriously, Appa was more convincing.

“Sure you do, you can’t have been such a prickly porcupine-hedgehog forever. It had to start somewhere.”

“Stop prying.”

“Was it when you left home?”

“You are aren’t you. You’re outright trying to make me mad now.” Zuko stood and Aang stood with him, though Zuko still towered over him.

“So what if I am, what are you going to do about it?”

“Leave.”

Aang thought it was an order, but when Zuko turned and walked away he realized it was an answer.

Next Zuko fact: Zuko would get mad at any time, except when you wanted him too.

“Wait, no. Zuko wait, I’m sorry.” Aang chased after him, sliding down a rocky hill. Appa just plopped down for a nap in the sun.

“Go away!”

Aang sped past him in a way only airbenders can and stopped his arms out in front of him forcing Zuko to stop as well. The wind was stronger this far from the city and it played in their clothes and Zuko’s hair like an old airball at dawn face off.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to manipulate you… I mean I guess I was, but not to do anything. Except yell at me.”

“Why?”

“Um, Katara thought maybe you needed to yell at someone to feel better.”

“I yell at people all the time.”

“This is different, like when she and Sokka get in fights and they make up by yelling at each other some more until all the poison comes out.”

“I’m not taking my anger out on a twelve-year-old.” He growled, “she wants me to yell at someone she can come over here and tick me off herself.”

“Okay. I really don’t mind, if it helps.”

“I don’t want to be angry anymore.”

“I don’t want you to be angry anymore either.”

“Then why do you keep pushing this?” He was yelling, a bit, not angry so much as frustrated.

“I’m not giving up.” 

“Why not?” 

Aang hadn’t expected the quiet question. Why did Zuko need to ask? Zuko of all people knew why someone wouldn’t give up. Zuko was the king of tenacity. He’d sailed from one side of the world to the other just to find them. He’d begged, and stolen, and starved. Zuko didn’t give up on anything. But maybe that’s why he was so used to everything giving up on him.

“Because I don’t have any other options!” Aang yelled louder than he meant too. He was exhausted he’d worked his arrow off trying to convince Zuko he needed his help. He was starting to have nightmares again, he’d had so much tea in the past month he was surprised it wasn’t coming out of his ears. But Zuko was so stubborn! It had to be Zuko! Why did it have to be the only person in the world who wasn’t interested? It wasn’t fair!

“Why are you crying?”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes you do.”

“No I don’t!”

“Aang, why are you crying?”

“BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO HURT MY FRIENDS!”

Even the wind grew quiet in response to the airbender’s pain. All Zuko did was look at him as he wiped the tears away.

“What happened?”

“Wh-what?” Aang sniffled wiping his eye on his sleeve.

“The first time you tried. What happened?”

“I-I burned Katara.”

“How bad?”

“I dunno. She healed herself, but she ran away and Sokka got mad at me.”

“I burned Mai.”

Aang looked up at him from his blurry eyes. He didn’t look guilty.

“The pretty one with black hair?” he asked.

Zuko nodded. “I was showing off.”

“I was playing with it.” Aang was still crying, but he felt better somehow, though he’d never bothered to hold in his tears he felt like they’d been a long time coming. “Jong Jong told me I wasn’t ready but I didn’t listen.”

Zuko snorted. “Your first mistake was going to Jong Jong.”

“Really? But everyone said he was so good.”

“You can tell the skill of a teacher by how their students turn out. Anyone who could turn out someone like Zhao isn’t worth your time.”

“General Iroh must be really good then.” Aang got the pleasure of seeing Zuko’s face flush.

“Yeah, he is.” 

Zuko started walking back towards the wall, slow enough that Aang could catch up without jogging.

“Everyone burns someone eventually, Aang.”

“But—”

“Literally everyone.”

“Even Azula?” He wasn’t sure if it was a good question or not but Zuko didn’t seem upset.

“Azula burned people on purpose.”

“Even you?”

“Especially me.”

“Then I guess I’m doing better than someone at least.”

Zuko fact #3: Any slight on his little sister would immediately result in laughter.

“Let me fly you home, Zuko,” Aang asked after before they got too far. Zuko followed his gaze to where Appa was sleeping paws in the air and tongue lolling out. 

“I am not riding on that thing.”

“C’mon, it’ll be fun. Appa, yip yip!”

“No, Aang wait-” he cried as Aang pulled him towards the bison and airbended him onto the saddle. “Aang, put me down!”

Zuko hung on for dear life as Aang laughed and climbed into the saddle with him. Zuko looked horrified at the rope Aang was supposed to use to steer. Appa launched himself into the air without further prompting.

“He knows where he’s going.” Aang shrugged.

Maybe to distract himself, maybe out of petty revenge Zuko asked a new question now.

“What does me teaching you firebending have to do with you hurting your friends?”

Aang had thought about it so many times over the last month. Why it had to be Zuko, why was it so important. Why he was so jealous Sokka got to spend more time with the firebender, bond with him even. He thought he knew why now, and it wasn’t just the scar.

“You didn’t hurt your sister.” He said louder than normal over the wind of their flight.

“What?”

“I remember what happens when I’m in the avatar state. In the moment, I hardly notice what’s going on, reacting based on the instinct of all the Avatars before me. But after… After I remember it all, I remember sinking those ships in the North Pole, I remember crushing earthbenders beneath their own element after they tried to hurt Katara. So I remember you bending that lightning. I asked your Uncle and he said you could have made it go anywhere, once you had it. And you chose to point it at her feet, enough to distract not enough to hurt.”

“She’s my sister, I wasn’t going to kill her.”

“She would have killed you. If it were the other way around.”

“I know.”

“You were burning from the inside out.”

“Only a little.”

“She bullied you.”

“Yeah.”

“Burnt you on purpose.”

“So?”

Aang smiled at the entirely confused look on his face. 

“If you can’t hurt your sister after everything she’s done you won’t let me hurt my friends either.”

Aang didn’t even ask Zuko to teach him again when he dropped the teenager off at his apartment nothing else was said until Aang leaped off Appa’s head and led the bison into the barn they’d rented for him. He untied the rope between Appa’s horns and gave him a nice big hug, with Appa there weren’t any other kind of hugs.

“He’ll come around, buddy. I just know it.”

Appa agreed.


	8. Chapter 8

Zuko couldn’t bare his uncle’s big smile for much longer. All month Iroh had been wearing a horrible this-is-the-best-day-of-my-life grin. It was like his face was frozen into a state of happiness. It was infuriating. 

He didn’t mind his uncle being happy, sure, his uncle deserved to be happy. And after years of mistakes and mistakes and insults Zuko was done with upsetting his uncle. And if he wasn’t allowed to upset Uncle, no one else had a chance in hell. 

“OUT!”

A man flew through the doorway so far that the people in the next street over shouted in alarm.

“And don’t come back.”

A few of the regulars in the tea shop cheered and Uncle had that stupid grin again.

“That might be a new record, Li.” Sokka whistled distracting Zuko from his uncle’s dumb face. They were all there. Like a pack of locus-rats. Brimstone and fire, if he ever let them turn him into part of a swarm he’d never forgive them. 

He groaned, more at himself than them, though he’d play it off as their fault for anyone who asked. For the past week he’d been unconsciously including himself in their little collective hive-mind. More than once he’d slipped up when talking to his uncle, referring to them as we or assuming he was entitled to more information than he really should be (why had no one bothered to tell him the earthbender was blind!) No doubt fueling that awful grin.

“What do you want?” Zuko groaned.

“Keemun!” Toph yelled far too loud and pointed in his face. “But you have to make it. Uncle doesn’t make it strong enough.”

“What’s your problem?” He said fighting the urge to smack the hand in his face. Did she seriously not just feel him toss a guy across the upper ring for insulting Uncle’s tea?

“You made Aang cry.”

“No that’s not- wait.”

Zuko ignored Aang’s attempt to pacify them. “Are you insulting my uncle because you’re mad at me?”

“No I’m yelling compliments at you because I know you hate them.”

“That doesn’t even make sense!”

“Good!”

She threw herself down in the seat, her temper tantrum apparently sated. His was too confused to even get off the ground.

“I’ll just take Oolong, please Li,” Katara said making it very clear that she at least wasn’t going to throw a fit. She sat and Zuko felt she was being a bit too polite. Almost suspiciously so.

“The usual, for me.” Sokka shrugged, “Oh and one of those cake things, you know the one with the thing in the whatever.”

“Sokka that isn’t very helpful.”

“Eh, he knows what I mean.”

“Sokka-”

“I know what he means.”

“Oh, well. Okay then.”

“Sencha, this time. I think.” Aang also had a smile, not quite as infuriating as Uncle’s, but close.

“It’ll be just a minute. I have to go char broil the Blind Brat’s tea.” 

“What did you call me!”

“Toph stop yelling.”

“I’ll stop yelling when we get some decent service in this joint.”

Zuko put twice as many tea leaves in her drink. If she was going to complain about the strength then he was going to make it so burning strong she couldn’t taste anything else for a week.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay out there?” Iroh said watching him purposefully mangle her tea like he was going to cry.

The smile was gone so Zuko immediately stopped abusing the tea. Thankfully, it was too late to save it so he’d still get his revenge.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Uncle. I’m not going anywhere.” The smile wasn’t back. Maybe he should restart. Make the tea properly.

“Yes you are.”

Oh torches… he’s crying. Remake the tea… remake the tea.

He didn’t get a chance. Iroh pulled him into a hug forcing him to abandon the task altogether.

“You always have a home here,” Iroh said into Zuko’s burned ear. “No matter what happens while you’re gone, you will always be welcome here.”

“I know, Uncle.”

“And I’m so proud of you, Prince Zuko. So proud.”

“I know.”

When Iroh pushed him back to arm's length the smile was back if a little watery.

“Now fix that tea. We don’t serve bad tea here to anyone, understand.”

“Yes, sir.

Uncle left still wiping moisture out of his eyes and Zuko fixed the tea.

“Why does Uncle think I’m going somewhere?” He glared at Aang as he put the tray down, harder than he should have. The airbender’s eyes were dancing.

“I don’t know are you?”

“Aang,” he warned. 

“Please…” 

How he made his eyes go all big and cute Zuko would never figure out but Zuko wasn’t in the mood to ask. 

With a frustrated growl, he kicked the table and stormed out the front door.

“Zuko, wait.” Aang followed forgetting to use his cover name. It didn’t matter much, by now the whole city knew they were Fire Nation. Didn’t stop the Jasmine Dragon from being full near constantly.

Their bison was sitting just out front, he’d been so distracted by the rude customer he hadn’t seen it. Everything was packed sleeping rolls, backpacks. Momo was trying to sneak into a pack for some food.

They were waiting on him, how long had they put off their plan to save the world for him?

“Zuko, I didn’t mean anything.”

With a frustrated cry Zuko tangled his hands in his hair and leaned against the side of the tea shop. “This goes against everything, Aang! Everything I am, everything I’ve ever been! You have to understand. I can’t just turn away from everything I’ve ever been taught!”

“You don’t have to. Not everything the Fire Nation does is evil.”

“I know that! You think I don’t know that?”

“No. I want you to know that I know.”

“This is wrong. I can’t be a part of this. I can’t.”

“Zuko, saving the world means saving the Fire Nation too. The others aren’t the only ones that have been spending a hundred years in a pointless war.” Aang sat down next to him. “I admit, I don’t think Sokka, Katara, and Toph realize that yet, but I think we could show them the real Fire Nation. The Fire Nation you grew up in and the one I used to know. The part that isn’t soldiers and burning and death.”

“I don’t think I can…”

“Zuko, you’re the only one who can. There’s a reason you just happened to be near the south pole when Katara and Sokka woke me up. The first firebender I met after coming out of the ice and he didn’t even hurt anyone. That’s not a coincidence, Zuko. It’s destiny.”

Aang held out a hand. He didn’t have to take it, he could walk away. Aang would probably give up if he did.

No, he wouldn’t give up. Zuko could see it in his eyes. Even if they had to leave now, they’d be back.

Aang wasn’t going to give up on him.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad… to go back home again. If it was destiny than did it matter if he was a terrible firebender? Aang could always find someone better later after the Fire Nation was safe from his father.

Sokka probably still needed help too.

“I’ll be ready by the time you finish your tea.”

At least he wouldn’t be stuck wearing this awful green color anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously guys, thanks for all the love and all the comments/kudos. This is seriously the most popular thing I've ever written and it's super encouraging that you all love it so much.


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